October 2003 Newsletter

Contents

• President's Report by Steve Lafferty
• September Business Meeting Recap
• Nominations of Officers
• League of Conservation Voters
• Kudos to Baltimore County Government
• Upcoming Political Events
• The Kickback Against Cutbacks
• Interesting Opportunities
• Public Hearing: 2004 Education Budget
• Health Policy and Management Lectures
• American Steel
• Voters and the School System
• Defending the Constitution II
• Clinton and US Military Abilities
• Club Membership has climbed to 143
• Membership
• Upcoming Club Events
• What Do You Think?

President's Report by Steve Lafferty

September was a difficult month for many in Baltimore County. We hope that you and your family are okay and did not suffer losses.

While the Presidential election is next year, the 2006 State elections seem as important to focus upon. Yes, I know it is 2003. Yet if Democrats are to reclaim the Governor's seat, elect members to the House in the 42nd, 7th and 8th districts and retain elected Democrats, it is not too early to discuss strategies, encourage quality candidates and build the organization needed to win.

The Central Baltimore Democratic Club has been at the center of efforts to inform voters, inspire Democrats to succeed, participate and address the issues and to involve people in elections, in discussions and in the development of effective strategies. CBCDC has grown, attracting people from Owings Mills, Pikesville, Towson, Timonium, Parkville and other areas. Why? Because we have provided a place to gather, to share, to learn, to listen, and to get involved. We have heard of the frustration and anger of Democrats and need to harness this energy. We are nearly 150 members and have proven to be the political place to go.

In November, the Club will elect new leadership. The slate of nominees is diverse, involved, committed and of high quality. There will be new ideas, new energy and new initiatives. I thank the Nominating Committee for their work and encourage all Club members to actively support and work with the new Board and Officers.

It is also critical that we work with and support our elected Democrats. Dutch Ruppersberger is likely to face a tough challenge. Two reputable Republicans have already filed to run against Ben Cardin. Sen. Jim Brochin has been targeted. Apparently the Republicans have already chosen his opponent and will contribute at least $200,000 to beat Jim. Sen. Kathy Klausmieir and Del. Eric Bromwell can also expect a fight in a district formerly represented by Jim Ports and Al Redmer (who got lucrative jobs with the Ehrlich Administration). We need to offer help to all of these Democrats.

The point is - we cannot be complacent. Democrats -and our Club is pivotal - must organize, focus and work hard for the next 3 years. We need to better craft a localized message, reflecting the great things that Democrats have done to make Baltimore County and Maryland wonderful places to live. We cannot wait for the national Democrats to agree on a message until we have sifted through the Democratic candidates for President. We have to find a way, though, to connect with those who supported the Green Party, the 14% who are neither Republican nor Democrat and the newest special group (replacing soccer Moms), the NASCAR Dads, or their equivalents.

It is also interesting to see the dynamics on the national level. In July, the question was whether the Democrats had support to beat Bush. His ratings were high and Democrats could not get a clear oppositional message. Now, there is are faltering incomes, lost businesses, near daily losses of American soldiers in Iraq, the "outing" of intelligence officers and Attorney General run amuck. Will these open the eyes of the American voters? Can Democrats point out how destructive Bush has been for the environment, education, children, and our position as an ally of the world community?

Don't forget that the best way to win the hearts and minds of the public is to talk with friends, and neighbors. Help them understand where the state and nation are going under the current regimes. And, encourage them to join with us to make a difference for our communities and the future.

Steve Lafferty

September Business Meeting Recap

Club members present at the September 23 meeting voted to approve the following actions:

Members Vote to Increase Dues to $20 per year

In order to support the increased level of activity, the Club voted to raise the dues to $20 per person, but keep the dues at $10 for the person who claims hardship or is in a new category of students. The dues have not been raised since 1990. During the past few years, the Club stepped up its recruitment, outreach and educational activities. The membership has continued to grow and but so has interest in sponsoring forums, supporting political events and candidates and expanding our involvement.

The change became effective on October 1.

By-Laws Changed for Treasurer

The Club voted to change the By-Laws to eliminate the term limits on the Treasurer. Many Board members were concerned that two, two year terms for the Treasurer could eliminate the opportunity to have a high quality, highly qualified person continue his/her service. Therefore, the Board recommended and the Club agreed that last sentence in Section 6(a) be amended to read: "No Officer OTHER THAN THE TREASURER shall serve more than two (2) consecutive two-year terms in the same office."

Organize College Students at Towson University

The Club has voted to allocate up to $800 to help organize Young Democrats on the Towson University campus. We are seeking a college student who will work to organize the students and get them more involved in local Democratic Party politics. The Board has set up a small committee to help oversee the effort. We are seeking potential organizers at the University. Do you have someone you can recommend? If so, please email Steve Lafferty.

Quote:

"The people's good is the highest law." Cicero in De Legibus, c.40 BC

Nominations of Officers

The Nominating Committee presented a slate of candidates for officers and directors for 2004-2005 at the September 23 meeting.

The Nominating Committee was guided by five principles: geographic balance, age and gender diversity, inclusion of newer members on the leadership team, the willingness to be active and a desire to create and cultivate linkages to elected officials and political organizations. Based on this, the Committee proposes the following slate of Officers and Directors for the Club:

Additional Nominations may be made by a petition presented to the President at least fifteen (15) days prior to the annual meeting on November 11,2003. It must be signed by at least seven (7) Members and includes a written consent of the proposed candidate. The name(s) of any additional nominee(s) will be published in the November Newsletter if it has not already been mailed. So, if you are interested in holding an office, please submit such a petition as soon as possible.

The election will be held at the official Annual Meeting, November 11, 2003.

League of Conservation Voters

This is a very important and effective organization working to preserve our natural resources. We have an opportunity to hear about their programs, their legislative interests, and the other work of the organization.

At the Club Regular Meeting, October 14, Executive Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Sue Brown, will be our guest speaker. Ms. Brown has been a leading advocate for environmental protection as the head of the League and has helped evaluate the voting records of elected officials. Come hear and talk with Sue at our next meeting.

Sunday, October 19th from 3 pm to 6 pm, Tom Quirk and Siri Svaeren will host a house party to benefit the League of Conservation Voters. Their home address is 1402 Edmondson Ave., Catonsville MD 21228.

For more information, please email Tom and Siri. More information is available on the League of Conservation Voters website.

Quote:

"Nothing doth hurt more in a State than that cunning men pass for wise." Francis Bacon, c.1623 1620

Kudos to Baltimore County Government

All indications are that County Executive Jim Smith and the County government did an outstanding job assisting and supporting the people who were devastated by the wrath of Hurricane Isabel. Water rescues, timely help, police presence, dumpsters, on-site permitting, and, most importantly, an understanding of the losses and disruption to the lives of thousands of residents. Thank you

Upcoming Political Events

October 15 - County Executive Jim Smith Fundraiser at Martin's West, 6:30 to 8:30, $150 per person; for information call 410-547-1068 x201

October 16 - Democratic Women of Anne Arundel County Dinner with Mayor Martin O'Malley at the Sheraton Barcelo Hotel at 6:30 pm with guest speaker Mayor Martin O'Malley. $30/per person. Call Mary Rosso 410-760-3284 or Marge Huggins 410-761-0190.

October 19 - Delegate Mike Weir, Jr. Octoberfest Fundraiser at Hawk's Pleasure Club. 2-PM, Maryland Steamed Crabs with Hot and cold Buffet. $35.00/person. Call Barbara Weir at (410) 391-6566.

November 9 - New 7th Democratic Civic Club Bull Roast, 2 - 6 pm. At Knights of Columbus Hall, Edgemere, MD. $25

November 16 - The Baltimore County State Central Committee Bull Roast, 1-5 pm at The Rosedale Volunteer Fire Dept. Hall, 8037 Philadelphia Rd. $25.00 per ticket

November 21 - Maryland Citizen's Health Initiative Dinner honoring leaders in health care reform, at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum, beginning at 5:30 pm; $100 per person; call 410-235-9000 for more information or tickets.

The Kickback Against Cutbacks

(from Progressive Maryland)

Gov. Ehrlich may soon have to fire the people of Maryland. They don't like the budget cutting the Ehrlich administration is doing either.

That's the message that comes through loud and clear from a statewide public opinion poll conducted last month by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies. The poll of over 800 registered voters from every corner of the state found that the governor's cutback-centered approach to solving the state's fiscal crisis is wildly unpopular. Only 19 percent of Marylanders want to see more budget cutting, the poll results reveal. On a menu of options to balance Maryland's budget, cutbacks rank next to last.

Nearly eight out of 10 Marylanders, 78 percent, agree that "we've already cut $700 million from the budget - we should not cut any more." An even higher percentage agree that "we need to ensure that every Maryland child has a good education and services."

Quote:

"Political action is the highest responsibility of a citizen." JFK October 20, 1960

Interesting Opportunities

Campaign Organizers needed:

Progressive Maryland is launching a statewide campaign to block further cuts to the state budget. They will be urging the General Assembly to invest in education and social programs by closing corporate loopholes and collecting fair levels of revenue from corporations and the wealthiest Marylanders.

For a job description, see progressivemaryland.org/jobs/campaign.php. Resumes should be sent to Tom Hucker at tom@progressivemaryland.org. No calls, please.

CareFirst Board of Directors:

As part of the Progressive Maryland-supported reforms to CareFirst BlueCross/BlueShield, the public now will have seats on the CareFirst Board of Directors. For an application, please call 301 970-5392 or 410 946- 5392. or email BCBS@mlis.state.md.us and leave your name and address and an application will be mailed to you. Applications must be postmarked on or before October 15, 2003.

Public Hearing: 2004 Education Budget

The Central Area Education Advisory Council will hold its annual Pre-Budget Hearing on Thursday, October 16 at Dumbarton Middle School beginning at 7:30 pm. This is your opportunity to tell the Board of Education what you believe the school system's budget priorities should be for the next operating budget. Sign up to speak at this important hearing by calling the Central Area Director's Office at 410 887-3196 or sign in that evening. Each speaker can have up to 3 minutes to speak and submission of written testimony is encouraged.

Questions or concerns regarding the hearing or other education issues? Feel free to contact Club member Vicki Schultz-Unger at vschultzunger@hotmail.com or call 410 377-0828.

Quote:

"Our liberty depends upon the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." T. Jefferson, 1786

Health Policy and Management Lectures

(Organized by 11th District Delegate Dan Morhaim, M.D. and Donald M. Steinwachs, Ph.D. and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, these Lectures are free and Open to the Public - Free lunch provided beginning 12:00 p.m. Lectures from 12: 15 p.m. -1: 20 p.m. at the Hampton House Lecture Hall (Basement) 624. N. Broadway, Baltimore, across the street from the main hospital.)

October 9: Vinnie DeMarco, Health Care for All, will outline a plan to provide health coverage for all Marylanders which has sparked widespread debate and discussion. Note: Vinnie will also be the Club's guest speaker at the November 11 meeting.

October 30: John P. Walters, Director, Office of Drug Control Policy, the "drug czar" in Washington DC, will cover the Bush Administration's approach and plans for drug policy and will share how national policy is formed and the many factors that are considered.

November 20: Nelson Sabatini, Maryland Secretary of Health, has recently announced his intention to find a way to provide health insurance for all Marylanders. He will outline his plan and other goals for the Department of Health.

December 4: Barbara Heller, Executive Director, Center for Health Workforce Development, will share her insights on the vital issue of health care workers and the increasing shortages of nurses, technical and support staff, and doctors as well. What are the causes of the crisis and what can be done about it?

December 11: Dr. Gervais Tougas, a practicing gastroenterologist and public policy expert from Hamilton, Ontario, will share how the Canadian system works, pros and cons, for patients and providers, taxpayers and government.

For more information, call Pam Davis at 410-955-3625

American Steel

Letter (edited slightly) from Don Forcino, Staff Representative, United Steelworkers of America

I am certain that many of you have followed the news stories about Bethlehem Steel's bankruptcy and the devastating loss of medical benefits by retirees of the former company.

Our community could have been faced with an even greater loss-the shutdown of the Sparrows Point Plant. A shutdown would have reached far beyond our immediate plant population. The tax base that supports citizen's services and local business in Baltimore County would have suffered irreparable harm. Every manufacturing job generates from three to seven other jobs.

But we avoided a shutdown. And we did one better. The United Steelworkers of America and Bethlehem's successor, ISG (International Steel Group) negotiated a far-reaching and innovative labor agreement to give new life to the Sparrows Point Plant, our workforce and surrounding community. We negotiated a trust fund to help retirees meet the high costs of medical care.

On September 23rd active and retired steelworkers rallied in Washington, D.C. to convince President Bush to hold his ground on tariffs. We are now awaiting Bush's answer.

We would like to thank Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, Elijah Cummings and Albert Wynn for signing a letter to President Bush supporting a continuation of steel tariffs. We also want to thank Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski for their efforts as part of the Congressional Steel Caucus. And we want to thank Wayne Brooks and Spike Schnitzker of the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club for making the trip to Washington, D.C. with us.

Our manufacturing base is threatened by trade agreements which actually encourage companies to move their production to other countries where they can exploit cheap labor and the lack of environmental and health standards. In 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed after a round of secret negotiations. Since the enactment NAFTA, over 365,000 U.S. jobs have been exported to Canada and Mexico. The agreement has pitted workers of one country against another in a race to the bottom.

In November, trade ministers from 31 countries will be meeting to extend NAFTA into the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA would further threaten our manufacturing base and our communities. It would expand the influence of corporations over the development of policies which could reverse years of progress in protecting workers, consumers and our environment.

Workers, students, environmentalists, farmers and small business owners from all over the world will be in Miami during the FTAA discussions to say NO FTAA! We believe that any trade agreements between countries must include strong standards governing wages, working conditions, environmental protection, and the social "safety net."

Here in Baltimore County, efforts are underway to support the protests against the FTAA. On November 1, Baltimoreans will gather to hold a press conference andmass educational leafleting to alert our communities to the dangers of the FTAA. We will circulate thousands of petitions and post cards which will be delivered to our trade ministers in Miami. Join us. Say Yes to healthy communities and a fair economy! Say No to FTAA. Call (410) 931-6900 for more information. For more information on the FTAA, visit www.tradewatch.org or www.uswa.org.

Quote:

"The Constitution of the United States was a layman's document, not a lawyer's contract..." FDR, 1937

Voters and the School System

The Education Advisory Council of Baltimore County and the Baltimore County League of Women Voters held a forum recently to review ways County residents can affect the School Board selection process. Towson Times criticized the forum for excluding discussion of an elected school board. Apparently the forum did not question the current process which excludes County government officials.

The current system of appointing officials to the School Board of Baltimore County is unacceptable. Regardless of the talents of those appointed to the School Board, the Governor should not be involved in the process. The County should own, manage, and operate its own school system.

A workable solution is to give the County Executive authority to nominate the Superintendent and the Members of the School Board with confirmation of the appointments by the Council. This would place authority and accountability in the place we look to for every other function of County government. Elections to Executive and Council get the attention of the voters and true accountability over the school system would be an element of that process.

by Ron Bowers

Defending the Constitution II

This quotation is just one of hundreds that might be cited to convey the central concept of our government system: that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and is subordinate to no other law.

Every public servant, whether President, Judge, Legislator, or employee of government, uniformed or otherwise, is bound by it. Article VI states: "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution;"

Under our Constitution, government cannot impose any doctrine or ritual of religion through civil law. This principle was upheld once again by the court rulings on the "graven image" of the Ten Commandments in the Alabama court house.

What does a public servant do when the Constitution presents a conflict between its application as "supreme law of the land" and a tradition from his or her religion? What does a public servant do when presented an apparent conflict between the specific safeguards of individual liberty written or implied in the Constitution and religion-based concepts of morality? Or national security?

Democrats in the Senate have held the line on this principle by filibustering the nominations to Federal Appeals courts of two people who do not agree with the separation of religion from civil law. Republican propaganda has accused the "liberals" of being "anti-Catholic" and many have fallen for that. But many Catholics are included among those "liberals" accused. The recent Supreme Court decision upholding the sexual privacy rights of homosexuals was written by Justice Kennedy, a Catholic whom no one would call "liberal". He kept to his oath.

by Ron Bowers

Quote:

"The Constitution of the United States was a layman's document, not a lawyer's contract..." FDR, 1937

Clinton and US Military Abilities

The SUN published a letter in its Sept. 16 issue which falsely stated that the current problems in Iraq are partly due to the Clinton Administration's "disinterest in and under funding of the military and the CIA." Lawrence J. Korb, Pres. Reagan's Asst. Secretary Of Defense, recently stated that the military responsible for the victory in Iraq "were for the most part recruited, trained, and equipped by the Clinton Administration" and "that most of the credit for the successful military operation should go to the Clinton Administration."

The Clinton military also defeated the Taliban. President Clinton provided all of the funding for two key weapons used in these wars, the Predator and the JDAM, and appointed General Tommy Franks, the commander who devised the battle plans for these victories. President Clinton's CIA also broke up several terrorist cells and prevented several terrorist attacks during the Millennium celebrations.

by James M. Kehl

The Club's membership has climbed to 143 people!

Welcome to new Members: Lorraine Anderson of Timonium, Richard and Cathy Barbehenn of Rodgers Forge, Dan Greenfield of Timonium, Matthew Joseph of Rodgers Forge, and Elizabeth Reader of Abingdon.

So far in 2003, the Club has retained 40 members for 4 years or more and 6 others for 3 years and 21 for 2 years. During this past year, 31 members returned and 45 new people joined.

Quote:

"To support the Constitution, to observe the laws, is ... the path and the only path towards liberty. ...Liberty is not collective, it is personal. All liberty is individual liberty." President Calvin Coolidge, September 21, 1924

Membership

Regular membership in the Club is open to any person who is registered as a Democratic voter in Maryland. The are only $20.00 per person. You may be receiving this newsletter even though not a member. This is one of our ways to reach out to concerned citizens and Democrats. We encourage you to be a part the Club in our effort to build a stronger base in the central part of the County.

The label shows your status, including the last year for which you are paid up if a member. If your dues are current, we thank you. If not, or if you want to join our club, please send the coupon and your $20.00 dues to: Herb Lodder, 120 W. Seminary Ave., Lutherville, MD 21093.

Join The Club

Upcoming Club Events

Regular Meetings are open to all, and begin with social and refreshments at 7:00 PM followed by club business and speaker at 7:30 PM

Meetings are held at the East Towson Community Center, Lennox and Jefferson (left onto Jefferson from Towsontown Blvd East of York Rd.)

What Do You Think?

Members of the CBCDC are invited to send their own articles and letters of about 300 words or less. Send yours to the editor as the text of an e-mail message (not as attachment!).

We reserve the right to edit for grammar and space and to exclude anything we judge to be inappropriate for this publication. The opinions expressed are always those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Club.

	CBCDC News
	Editor
	404 Kilree Rd. #301
	Timonium, MD 21093

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